Update: I can’t believe that I’m in Bangalore, and I HAVEN’T had the time to surf the internet or even check my email. My suitcase broke down, so my priority is to buy a new QUALITY one before the Indian Airline carriers turn my broken suitcase into a thousand clothing articles on the conveyer belt. But on the bright side, there’s another positive review of “The Dreaming”, an IGN review.

 

Kerala (23rd November): Still at Kerala, and this time, we’re taking a 4-hour drive to see some “nature” scenery. Yesterday we went sight-seeing as well, and this time, we ran into the well-worn backpacking trail of Kerala. We visited the church where Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama, the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope, was buried; and we also visited a place with the very politically-incorrect name of “Jew Town”. So there are Jews in India too, known as “Ohdu” in the Bible. They have a long history – dating from when the Romans sacked modern day Palestine in 70BC, and some Jews were dispersed to the India subcontinent. Most of the people running Jew Town don’t seem to be Jews though; my Indian friends actually pointed out that they look either Pakistani or Afghani. Either way, because of the backpacking trail that goes through Jew Town, they’ve pretty much turned it into a giant tourist attraction. The only signs of Jewish-ness that I see are the occasional Star of David – whereas the shops are more likely to sell Christian or Hindu memorabilia. A very incongruous mix, bu not so when you consider that Kerala is 40% Hindu, 40% Christian and 20% Muslim.

 

Kerala (21st November): Took a plane at noon to Kochi, Kerala, which is supposed to be tropical beach area. I got here and I don’t yet see any beaches, but there’s a reason why we’re joining a tour here. My friends have booked a 12-day tour around here for a pretty good price, which includes one night on a houseboat. I believe we’re going to roll around all the usual suspect places in Southern India, and then fly to Bangalore. Apart from that, Kochi is like a busier version of Kerala, and just about every South-East Asian city looks like this. People here stare alot too, but then I never much notice people staring at me, though my friends do. Asian girls are just unusual here, naturally.

George Washington is still having trouble finding a taker, but I’m holding out for a Western Union.

 

Chennai (21st November): When you find access to the Internet, use it. Here in Chennai, India, the weather is as hot as I’d expected – and it’s monsoon season, meaning that it downpours every now and then. Well, I’ve always liked hot weather, so I’m happy about it, except that so far I’ve run into several problems.

First of all, they won’t take my “old” American dollars. You supposedly can’t get Indian rupees from outside India (that’s not true, you can get it at SOME international airport money exchanges), but I took American dollars along becaus US cash is always reliable. But at Chennai International airport, the money exchange clerk looked at my money as if it were counterfeit, and promptly refused to give me rupees for George Washington. Luckily I had a few “new” ones amidst my old US cash, so I was able to get SOME rupees, but hopefully I can find a Thomas Cook exchange later on to change my money into something I can actually spend. Either that, or mooch off my friend’s credit cards.

Apart from that, all I can say about Chennai is that it’s better than Cambodia. Crossing the road here is like crossing it in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city (you just walk across the road and trust in the people driving to not kill you). My Indian friends told me to be careful about a HUGE culture shock, but I must adapt well, because the only places where I’ve ever gotten culture shock are in first-world English-speaking countries. They also told me to expect to be ripped off, because I’m the only foreign-looking person travelling with a bunch of Indian-looking people. Oh well, I’ve been ripped off before – I can live with it.

I’m only staying in Chennai for, uh, 15 minutes more, because we’re flying down the coast to Kochi, Kerala and Trivandrum; all tropical resort places. Afterwards, we’re flying to Bangalore to attend a friend’s wedding, and coming back on the 10th December.